Since leaving the OKC Thunder in the summer of 2019, Russell Westbrook’s career has taken a downward turn. Despite being an eight-time All-Star and NBA MVP during his 11-year tenure in Oklahoma City, the point guard has since played for three different teams and gradually lost his starting position.
Now, it appears Westbrook is set to join yet another team. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the LA Clippers are trading the veteran, along with a future second-round pick swap and cash, to the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade deal for guard Kris Dunn.
This marks the second time in just over a year that a Los Angeles-based team has traded the 35-year-old to Salt Lake City (the Lakers traded him there in February 2023). Once again, Danny Ainge and the Jazz do not plan to keep Westbrook, as Wojnarowski mentioned in a follow-up post on X (formerly Twitter) that they intend to agree on a contract buyout, with “the expectation that he’ll join the Denver Nuggets as a free agent.”
Former Thunder star Russell Westbrook is expected to sign with the Nuggets. Denver has been rumored to be interested in Westbrook for some time, with reports of their desire to pursue him emerging late last month.
LOOK OUT FOR BRODIE 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/tVxrL6FQu6
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 10, 2024
Westbrook had a solid season with the Clippers in 2023-24, demonstrating his ability to contribute as a distributor and fast-break orchestrator within a playoff team’s rotation. Playing 22.5 minutes per game, he averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, mostly coming off the bench.
Westbrook now joins three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic and a Nuggets team that finished second behind the top-seeded Thunder in the West standings in 2023-24 and is considered a strong contender for the conference title in the upcoming 2024-25 season. According to Wojnarowski, the Nuggets’ signing of Westbrook aims to add “another veteran to bolster the team’s bench and be available as a spot-starter.”
